Journey through software development

The Clean Coder : Coding

We are developers and by definition we code. For some of us it’s just a job, for others it is a hobby, a craft or even an art ! We spend most of our time coding and by “coding” I don’t only mean writing code I also refer to the thinking of code. This is intellectually challenging and an exhausting activity especially when we are solving difficult problems.

You need concentration and focus to achieve the 4 main goals of coding :

Your code must work !

Your code must solve the problem !

Your code must fit well into the existing system ! This refers to the “do not harm the structure” principle covered in the Professionalismblog entry.

Your code must be readable by other programmers ! For more information you can read another Uncle Bob’s book, “Clean Code“.

You should not work on your code when you are tired or distracted. There is a high probability that you’ll produce waste and you’ll have to redo a huge part of what you’ve already done.

For example you might consider doing a coding night for one of your project. And why not, producing code during all night, especially if you are with some friends looks appealing. But in my own experience it rarely was. I did several coding night with these ideas in mind and it didn’t turn as expected. After 2 am I became completely useless and the code I produced during the night was garbage and the lack of sleep kept me unproductive the day after. Maybe coding nights work for you but it certainly do not for me.

You should also avoid coding when you worry, after an argument for example. Because your mind is not focus on the task you’re working on, it is focus on others issues.

In the book Uncle Bob tell us to avoid “The Zone“. Being in this state makes you feel highly productive, you are focused and you don’t get stuck. So what can be wrong with that ? This is a tunnel-vision state and you lose some of the big picture elements related to your tasks and then you can make decisions that have to be undone later. I must admit that I’m still figuring this out. I would say that “The Zone” is good for algorithmic work and should be avoided for heuristic work (more information here).

In a noisy work environment, the developer best friend is his headphone and his music. But playing music while coding can shift your concentration toward the song you’re listening instead of your code. I think that depends on the type of music you listen, I personally prefer going for pure music (i.e. no lyrics) or you can try some focus music based on brain waves.

When coding the last thing you want is to be interrupted, your thoughts can vanish and you lose all the thinking you were doing. You should avoid distraction, for instance your can close your email software or at least turning notifications off. You won’t miss anything critical, simply because an email cannot be critical. When something is highly important, people will come at you in person. We cannot rely on email for everything, just imagine sending an email when there is a fire. If you don’t want to be interrupted by others persons you first have to explain them why it is important you stay focused, if they don’t understand they probably will not consider it. And remember that sometimes you are the person that are interrupting others.

What if you are rested, your mind is clear, there is no distraction and the code still won’t come ? Well, this is a perfect time to find a pair-programming partner to solve problems with the power of your combined minds !

There will still be times where you will struggle with your task and you will feel like you just cannot resolve it. When this happens you should walk away and come back later, don’t try to force yourself if you are in a non creative state. You might find the solution of your problem the next morning in the shower or after a break.

Coding is our main activity and we have to understand every angles of it and know how to behave as professionals.